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Cyber Security – A way of life

22 Jun, 2015

Every business knows that they should protect the information that they hold, even if it is to not incur the legal ramifications of failing to do so.

Numerous statistics have been announced recently, whether it is in terms of the abundance of breaches (74% of SMEs suffering breaches) or that the average cyber-attack lasts for 31 hours with the knock on effects lasting for months.

That being said, arguably the most important statistic is that 31% of the worst security breaches were caused by accidental human error.

The most important statistic

A key reason behind this being argued as the most important statistic is that companies have far more control over these kinds of issues as opposed to an external attack.

With regards to the accidental human error, this can absolutely be avoided as the main cause of security breaches in general is that companies are in denial about it happening to them.

This then leads to them being reactive as opposed to proactive as they only attempt to change their ways AFTER having experienced a security breach.

One method of combating this is to make cyber security a core section of any induction process and not just a bolt on to the existing process.

Furthermore, ongoing training is also a critical element in the safeguarding of company information.

Creating the right culture

It is very worrying that numerous small and even large businesses are not providing ongoing training. Without this ongoing training, it is almost impossible to create the culture required to improve cyber security and its awareness.

With a lack of ongoing training it creates the perception that cyber security is not a serious issue and if this is the case, why should employees take it seriously? Instead, it becomes something that has to be completed upon induction but is forgotten about just as quickly.

The training itself must also be sufficient. A significant amount of the training that companies provide tends to focus upon what employees should do and the consequences of not complying. What also needs to be properly explained are the reasons as to why the training is so crucial.

If employees fully appreciate the reasons behind the processes and procedures that have been put in place then they can play a crucial role in protecting company information.

As a result of this, they are going to be more susceptible to the training and make more of an effort to comply. This in turn leads to a more secure business.

A not so daunting prospect

It is appreciated that information security is a very complex topic and that training, although playing an important part, is still just a part of what a company must do to help protect itself.

The task of protecting a company against all the different types of cyber security breaches can prove rather daunting but there is a solution.

The standard promotes efficient management of sensitive corporate information, highlighting vulnerabilities to ensure it is adequately protected against potential threats while encompassing people, process and IT systems.

The ISO 27001 is a comprehensive way of improving cyber security while bringing additional benefits such as its marketability and accountability within the organisation.